Manawatū woman back running after losing leg and suffering brutal injuries in horrific car crash

Friday, 23 November 2018

Susan Evans lost her lower leg due to injuries from a horrific car crash in 2015. Now she's running, reclaiming her active lifestyle. (First published November 2018)

Susan Evans is on the comeback trail – and she's doing it at pace.

Her crossing the finish line of the 10-kilometre event at the Queenstown Marathon was the culmination of three-years of fight to reclaim the active lifestyle she had enjoyed before a speeding motorist pulverised her body and ultimately claimed one of her legs.

Evans, 45, was driving with her three daughters and towing a horse float in July 2015, only a few kilometres from the family's home in Sanson, when a vehicle hit them head on.

The other driver died at the scene, while the Evans family were pulled from their burning car by bystanders.

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Susan Evans, right, out for a run near her home in Sanson with daughter Hayley.

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Evans' injuries were horrific. Her face was degloved, her diaphragm punctured and one of her vertebrae fractured.

At that stage, her badly damaged ankle was barely a concern.

'I was really touch-and-go for about 10 days in ICU,' Evans said.

She started rehabilitation as soon as she could. Sport was central to her family, they loved all types of outdoor activities, from skiing to mountain biking and horse riding.

But after two years of intense rehab, Evans' foot started to deteriorate and soon she was not able to put any weight on it.

In September last year, she decided to have the lower part of her leg amputated.

The grim aftermath of the fatal crash on Penny Road, south of Sanson, on July 11 2015.

'My own foot was only going to be getting worse … the surgeon said it was like a bag of marbles when they opened it up.'

Evans was fitted with a prosthetic leg two months after her operation. She said it took trust to run with a prosthetic, but it enabled her to get fit and healthy again.

'There hasn't been a day where I've woken up and thought it was the wrong decision to amputate.

Susan Evans with husband Gareth after completing the 10km event at the Queenstown Marathon.

'I'm not a good spectator, so getting back into sport has been good.'

In October, Evans won a competition run by Achilles New Zealand to send five athletes and a support person to participate in the Queenstown Marathon 10km event on November 17. Achilles supports disabled athletes to help them compete alongside able-bodied athletes at sports events.

She had never run 10km before, but managed to complete the race, finishing in 1 hour and 20 mins with her husband Gareth by her side.

'It was pretty overwhelming and amazing to think that I had done it, but also pretty sore.

'I had been saying to everyone that I'd probably run, walk, and then crawl if I had to, because I was determined to get over the finish line.'

Evans has her sights set on Round the Bays in Wellington in February. Eventually, she would love to complete a half-marathon, something she had aspired to do before the crash.

She has also been back skiing this year, and hopes to start cycling again.

There isn't a Manawatū branch of Achilles yet, but Evans wants to encourage athletes with disabilities to reach out to her, so they can form one and train together.